Saturday, 1 July 2017

Wombwell Park WW1 Memorial Plaque Unveiling July 2016

The park in Wombwell was created as a memorial garden, dedicated to all the local men who fell in WW1. However there was nothing in the park to signify that was the case, until last year, when the Wombwell branch of the Co-operative Funeral Care funded a commemorative plaque to be mounted on the wall by the park gates. This was done to coincide with the centenary of the Somme. It is believed that around 30 Wombwell men died on the first day of the battle alone.

A ceremony was held to unveil the plaque in July 2016. The event was attended by relatives of the soldiers, the Royal Legion and local school children. The son of a surviving WW1 veteran made an emotional speech and letters written by fallen soldiers to their families were read out. At the end of the ceremony people were invited to place poppy crosses in a flower bed beneath the plaque. It was very touching tribute.

The Friends of Wombwell Park helped to organise the event.

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